Successful P2P Change Management | Direct Commerce

By The Direct Commerce Team

Why are P2P automation change management processes failing to meet their objective?

Instinctively, every business manager knows what it takes to make change happen. It is obvious that a skilled, motivated team in a department receptive to change using an easy-to-adopt process will implement change more effectively than an inexperienced team using a difficult-to-understand process. Most companies already know this, yet 70% of change management processes do not fulfill their goals.

Why are change management processes failing to meet their objectives? 

1. Management allows for complacency; there is no urgency from the top to create change
2. Lack of alignment across functional departments within the organization
3. The vision and mission for why change is needed is not communicated thoroughly enough to the entire team, middle managers, stakeholders, suppliers, and customers
4. The executive sponsor allows obstacles to derail projects or slow down progress
5. No short-term wins to keep teams motivated
6. Victory is declared too early and teams are not actually achieving all of their stated goals
7. Change is not incorporated into the corporate culture

These barriers are human-based and therefore, by changing your management and changing the company culture, you can overcome these challenges to transform your company.

6 best practices to successfully implement change management.

1. Strong Leadership and the Right Team

Leadership must have a clearly defined and agreed upon vision for the change. If the top is cohesive, they can advise and direct the team towards the right processes and next steps. It is essential to have the right team with the necessary skills and motivation at every level.

2. Policies that Support your Goal

Implement company-wide policies that support the change and move your company toward your goals. For example, by mandating web invoicing and incorporating the requirement into contracts, the company shows a commitment to change and implements it seamlessly.

3. Set Realistic Plans

When setting goals and outlining plans, specificity is key. For each action item and goal, assign an owner and a due date. Be vigilant about measuring your progress against your plan. With an extremely detailed plan, you can track your quantitative goals and celebrate small victories every step of the way.

4. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Tailor your communications between you and stakeholders to create a more open channel of communication that allows for stakeholders to ask questions and have their input heard. Through communication and understanding their individual goals, your company can align their interests with yours to build change that is compelling for everyone.

5. Accurate Data

Make sure your data is accurate and up-to-date because a well-maintained database contributes to fewer unresponsive suppliers and more efficient processing. The less time you spend validating data, the more time you can devote to effective change management.

6. Partner with an Experienced P2P AUTOMATION Provider

Partner with a service provider that has the expertise and dedication to help you achieve your goals. Implementing a user-friendly technology solution provides suppliers with a one-stop-shop to more easily access their data, purchase orders, and payments. By partnering with a service provider who has the experience to manage the implementation process, onboard suppliers, and build a process around your business, you can adopt the solution more easily and achieve your change management goals more quickly.

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Contact us if you are looking for more P2P automation change management best practices. We are happy to talk more about how we achieve 90%+ supplier onboarding rates!